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The present invention generally relates to decorative covers for electrical cords and methods for their use and, more specifically, to a decorative cord cover and an associated deployment member for facilitating deployment of the cord cover onto one or more electrical cords, as well as a method for applying the cord cover onto the deployment member.
Generally, electrical fixtures, appliances, and the like for use in the home or elsewhere are supplied power through an electrical cord extending from an electrical outlet to the fixture. Often, the electrical fixture, such as a lamp, radio or other small appliance is positioned within the room, leaving the electrical cord visible to persons in the room. The visible electrical cord is not aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, multiple cords may become entangled with one another. There is thus a need for devices that accent the appearance of plug in electrical cords and coordinate the cord with the room""s decor, and which can also be used to minimize or eliminate tangling of multiple cords. The foregoing problems occur not only with electrical cords, but also with other types of plug-in cords and lines that carry data, such as telephone lines, coaxial cables, and the like. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9celectrical cordxe2x80x9d shall mean and include all such lengthwise cords, lines and cables that are used in home and office settings.
Removable cylindrically shaped covers have been used to cover a multitude of devices including cart handles, insulating covers for fluid containers, and protective jackets for conductors, chandelier chains and the like. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,866,649; 3,654,049; 3,906,129; 3,038,558; and 4,954,939. These applications disclose covers secured around an item by a fastening device such as a zipper, extruded fastener or hook-and-loop type fastening material. All of these examples are similar in that the secured cover can be removed by simply unfastening the fastening device. However, electrical cords differ from other covered articles in that the electrical cord can be unplugged from the electrical socket, which permits removal of the cover without necessitating unfastening of a fastening device. This property of plug-in electrical cords allows for the use of permanently enclosed cord covers, in a manner unknown in the prior art.
Methods for deploying permanently enclosed cord covers onto one or more plug in cords are unknown in the art. The present invention accomplishes this task by introducing a deployment member which is used to facilitate deployment of the cord cover onto one or more electrical cords, as well as to provide a visually pleasing manner of presenting the present invention to the consumer. A method for the deployment of the cord cover onto electrical cords is more fully described below.
The novel approach of utilizing a deployment member in conjunction with the cord cover necessitates the application of the cord cover onto the deployment member as part of the manufacturing process. A method for the application of the cord cover onto the deployment member is more fully described below.
It is an object of the invention to provide a permanently enclosed cord cover for accenting one or more electrical cords.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for deploying the cord cover disclosed herein onto one or more electrical cords, as well as to provide a visually pleasing manner of presenting the cord cover to the consumer.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for applying the cord cover onto the deployment member as part of the manufacturing process.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention shall become apparent from the following general and preferred description of the invention.
Accordingly, a decorative cord cover is provided comprising, generally, a permanently enclosed tubular member preferably having a circular cross-section. The decorative cord cover is positioned onto a deployment member. In the preferred embodiment, the deployment member is a hollow, preferably cylindrical core constructed of cardboard or other similar material. The deployment member serves to facilitate deployment of the cord cover onto one or more electrical cords, as well as to provide a visually appealing product to the consumer.
Additionally, a method for applying the cord cover onto the deployment member is provided comprising the steps, generally, of providing a cord cover and deployment member as disclosed in the present invention, inverting the cord cover so as to expose the interior surface of the tubular cover, inserting the inverted cord cover into the interior of the hollow deployment member, righting the inverted cord cover as it passes through the interior of the deployment member, and sliding the righted cord cover, concurrent with righting the inversion, onto the exterior surface of the deployment member.
Furthermore, in conjunction with the utilization of a deployment member, methods for deploying the cord cover from the deployment member onto one or more electrical cords is provided comprising, generally, providing a cord cover and deployment member as disclosed in the present invention, inserting one or more electrical cords into the interior of the hollow deployment member, sliding the cord cover off of the exterior surface of the deployment member and onto one or more electrical cords, and removing the deployment member by extracting the electrical cord(s) from the interior of the hollow deployment member.